


Flowershop Row

by rebelmeg



Series: Rebelmeg's Tony Stark Bingo Fills 2019 [2]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop, Avengers Family, Crack Treated Seriously, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Hijinks & Shenanigans, No Plot/Plotless, These people are very passionate about flowers, competitive dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-11 22:57:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20161498
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rebelmeg/pseuds/rebelmeg
Summary: A little sidestreet in New York offers up a kooky variety of just about any kind of flora you could possibly want, with all the character that a bunch of shop owners could possibly have.





	Flowershop Row

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so this particular... mess is borne of impatience and staying up until 5 a.m. making moodboards instead of sleeping. 
> 
> I do, actually, have a few scenes and other snippets in mind for this particular universe, but rather than beat my head against a brick wall trying to make it happen, I made you a hodge-podge instead. As always, I am always open to theories and suggestions as to what you think happens/would happen next/etc.
> 
> ALSO, with this fill ( TSB S5 - AU: Flower Shop), and the free fill token I got for the June Discord Party.... THIS MEANS I HAVE EARNED A BLACKOUT FOR THE TONY STARK BINGO!!! *Prances about throwing rose petals and confetti* I AM SO STOKED! This is the first time I've done a bingo blackout, and I'm just very happy with myself for managing it!

It was known as Flowershop Row, even though the street name was 154th. Nobody who knew anything about it ever called it anything but Flowershop Row, and for good reason.

Quite unusually, the small side street crammed between two larger city blocks had the exact same kind of business in each of the units that lined each side of the road. Flowershops, of course. But that was where the similarities ended, and the owners that ran each of the shops took great pains (and great pleasure) at making sure everyone knew exactly how different and exceptional their shop was.

The first shop on the street, in the coveted corner spot (due to the way the street was laid out and the surrounding businesses, it was actually the only corner shop on the street), was Stark Stalks.

It was owned by Tony Stark, a well-known billionaire genius, and therefore the shop specialized in the extravagant, expensive, and luxurious. The inside of the shop was spacious, and attentively organized flowers were assembled in aesthetically pleasing groups. Big arrangements with long-stemmed flowers like gladiolus, orchids, and lilies were a particular specialty, and the shop was very popular in highbrow circles. Stark’s signature arrangements always featured coiled or shaped greenery, often large, flexible leaves that were manipulated into artful shapes, making it easy to spot his trademark anywhere.

The proprietor was always busy making huge, fancy arrangements for one big event or another, and if you needed to placate an angry significant other, Stark Stalks was a good place to start. Not only was the owner entirely charismatic, but he had two bright shop assistants, Peter and Harley, to help keep up with the orders and make deliveries. 

Tony was choosy, very picky about what product he allowed into his shop, and he would do whatever he needed to do in order to get what he wanted. It helped that he was always willing to pay exorbitant amounts of money to the flower market sellers, handing over his credit card with a wink and a smug smile behind a signature goatee.

Oftentimes, that smug smile was directed at Steve Rogers, the 1940’s throwback proprietor of Roger’s Roses that was just across the street from Stark Stalks.

Tony and Steve Rogers were locked in a vicious competition with each other, the hard-line traditionalism of Rogers' Roses clashing with the extravagance of Stark Stalks.

Steve was a purist, maintaining that a personal touch and charming physical presence went a long way towards getting and keeping customers. And he wasn’t wrong, especially with the older generations that appreciated the old-timey manner and traditional arrangements that Roger’s Roses provided. His shop was welcoming and neat, with an abundance of stationery and pretty vases to choose from when a customer made their order.

Steve was specific and particular about what he bought at the flower market, and while he didn’t have the financial clout to go toe-to-toe with Stark that way, he wasn’t above playing dirty to get what he wanted. More than one shouting match had erupted over the trays and buckets of wares at the flower market as Stark and Rogers went head-to-head, neither giving an inch and providing fantastic entertainment for onlookers.

Next to Stark Stalks was a far humbler little shop, owned and operated by an equally unobtrusive man. Banner’s Botanicals was the brainchild of Bruce Banner, a quiet yet brilliant man who kept a mix of nontraditional flowers and decorative plants in his store.

He had product ordered in from all over the world, everything from wildflowers to exotics, things that he’d seen on his travels, but he was also known to stop at stands on the side of the road if he saw something he liked. He was more inclined to lurk on the outskirts of the flower market, finding the lovely and unusual and sometimes buying choice product right out from under the other buyers as they fought and postured (*cough*TonyandSteve*cough*).

In addition to his out-of-the-ordinary flowers and simple, beautiful arrangements, Bruce also had a bakery counter where he sold an ever-changing selection of baked goods, run by a friend of a friend, Darcy (Jane Foster, a brilliant astrophysicist and the on-again, off-again girlfriend of one of the other shop owners was one of Bruce’s favorite people, and had introduced him to Darcy). Some of the baked goods he made himself, others he commissioned from other larger bakeries in the area. Either way, going into a flower shop for a bouquet and coming out with a cookie or a pastry (and often a cup of tea as well) was guaranteed to bring a customer back. 

Directly across the street from Banner’s Botanicals, was another little shop that strayed away from the typical. Barton’s Blossoms was exactly like the owner, a successful disaster, though only the owner was partially deaf.

Clint Barton’s shop was completely disorganized, no rhyme, reason, or even prices listed anywhere. But somehow, he always managed to make something really nice for his customers, something quirky and charming and memorable. It wasn’t unusual for him to present a customer with an arrangement shaped like an animal, with googly eyes stuck to flower petals, or perhaps a vegetable or two stuck in amongst the blossoms. He also had a coffee counter in his shop, something that made lifelong coffee-lover Tony Stark jealous and offended that he hadn’t thought of it first.

Clint was known for wandering the flower market, looking half-asleep as he shuffled around among the flats and pots of flowers and plants, coffee in hand, not even looking at what he was buying as a one-eyed scruffy dog followed behind him. While his arrangements might have been considered a travesty (Steve had once muttered under his breath about Clint’s mix of snapdragons, white poinsettias, and sunflowers being an abomination), that didn’t stop a bouquet or two from ending up on the desk in the shop next door, Natasha’s. Whenever it happened, Clint's face would all but split in half, he grinned so wide, and he would often taunt, “I thought you said my arrangements were a travesty.”

“They are a travesty, Barton. You mix daffodils with marigolds and roses.” Something in Natasha’s face always softened when she looked at Clint however, a small smile curving her lips. “It doesn’t mean I don’t like them.”

Natasha’s, run by the lovely and enigmatic Natasha Romanoff, was something of a mystery in itself. The shop was known for its gorgeous shaped and sculpted arrangements, and the life-size peacock that the woman had painstakingly crafted out of vines, leaves, and luxuriously colored flowers was legendary. It was all about presentation at Natasha’s, and the ex-Russian redhead excelled at it. Somehow, though she wasn’t seen as often in the flower market, she managed to get the best of everything, and theories as to how she managed that ran the gamut from bribes to sneaking in early, and all the way up to blood magic.

Though there were no extras in the shop, Natasha’s did an unfathomable amount of business, a delivery truck taking a full load of orders out at noon and again at five, as well as the foot traffic. For the longest time, none of the other owners on Flowershop Row could figure it out. There was a minimum of signage for Natasha’s place, and none of them had ever seen so much as an ad for it. But still, every day, that delivery truck loaded up and left twice, while a steady stream of customers came and went.

It was Tony that figured it out, and he was absolutely enraged that he hadn’t thought of it first. Through various online platforms, Natasha’s had gained quite a following, even going viral once and the bulk of its business was done online through an ordering system. After swearing colorfully and telling Natasha she was a genius, Tony had stomped back to his own shop to immediately design his own website (he came a very close second in his online business after that). Eventually all the shops except Steve’s had an online presence and ordering system, and being the purist he was, Steve flat-out refused to ever go that far.

Across from Natasha’s was another shop with a somewhat mysterious owner. Bucky Barnes, proprietor of Bucky’s Bulbs, was a man with a prosthetic arm and very few words, but that didn’t seem to faze anyone. His shop was known for its in-pot flowers, particularly perennials that grew from bulbs, hence the name.

His shop was filled to the brim, not only with potted plants and flowers that ranged from tiny succulents to huge outdoor pots overflowing with blossoms, but also a squashy couch and a shelf of books. The little lending library functioned as both amusement for customers in the shop, but also as a “give one, take one” system that always guaranteed a fresh read for his regulars. One of Bucky’s favorite things to do when he wasn't perusing his bookshelf was watch Stark and Rogers get into screaming matches at the flower market, and he never hesitated to poke at them and egg them on when he was bored.

There was something of a symbiotic relationship between Barton’s Blossoms, Bruce’s Botanicals, and Bucky’s Bulbs. It wasn’t uncommon to see customers wandering between the three shops, with coffee, baked goods, and/or books in their hands as they browsed. There were even picnic tables with big umbrellas set up outside the shops with plenty of space to stop and enjoy the day, sipping coffee and nibbling pastries and checking out the signage and window displays up and down Flowershop Row. 

The three shops were even known to run combined effort ad campaigns, with coupons and flyers in each other’s shops advertising the wares at the other two shops. A purchase at Bucky’s Bulbs would get you a free item from the bakery counter at Banner’s Botanicals, and a purchase of $50 or more at Barton’s Blossoms got you the opportunity to pet the dog (Lucky lived for that), and a percentage-off coupon for Bucky’s Bulbs. There was a clearly visible footpath on the street between the three shops, and rain or shine, there was always a customer wandering between them collecting their wares.

The other (somewhat lesser) rivalry on Flowershop Row existed between Bucky’s Bulbs and the shop next door at the end of the street, Sam’s Hothouse Flowers.

Sam Wilson ran the shop/greenhouse, and grew most of his product himself. The front of the property was a small shop, with shelves of flora and a selection of gardening supplies, with small bags of soil and fertilizer neatly stacked on the floor. The rear of the property was taken up with a greenhouse he'd built himself, and Sam was always happy to give his customers a tour and a gap-toothed smile, as well as any children’s groups that were interested. 

While the rivalry between Stark and Rogers was more on the prickly, standoffish side, the rivalry between Barnes and Wilson was far more on the juvenile and hilarious side. Hardly a week went by without some minor prank or another played by one of the two flower shop owners, and Clint Barton was always ready and willing to lend a hand to either one of them. 

On the other end of the street opposite Sam’s was perhaps the most unusual shop on Flowershop Row. For not only did Asgardian Marvels have an assortment of fresh flower arrangements, always rare and often odd-looking with branches and wood accents, but the brothers and business partners Thor and Loki Odinson also provided remarkably lifelike silk flowers.

Thor, who was extremely tall and definitely resembled a Norse god with his blond hair and blue eyes, had a nature as friendly as a golden retriever. His brother, though just as tall, was much thinner, and was a good deal paler with black hair that often reflected his dark mood. The two looked nothing alike, and acted nothing alike, but between the two of them their shop was a great success. There were a lot of rumors surrounding the two, their heritage, how they had come to be running a flower shop, and together no less. More than one of the other shop owners on the Row would swear that Loki had some kind of magical powers, but never to his face, and not in front of Thor either. For being such contentious brothers, Thor nevertheless staunchly defended Loki against any slights.

It was a crazy, competitive, oddball little family that spent their days in their shops on the street, but that was just part of the charm of Flowershop Row. Of course, the flower sellers that supplied the shops on the Row would heartily disagree. Nick Fury, Maria Hill, Phil Coulson, and Peggy Carter were more often than not tempted to dump every single one of the shop owners into a large pile of compost. Nick was even heard to say once, at the start of prom season when he saw them all coming, “It’s a good thing we got all these flowers, ‘cause there’s gonna be a funeral.”

Prom season was the worst time of the year, and might as well have been called murder season instead.

However, that's another story, for another time.


End file.
